Lord, to whom Shall we go?

Homily for April 21, 2018.

The words of Peter in today’s Gospel passage calls for some deep reflection.

“Lord, to whom shall we go?” When it comes to God, do we really have a choice? Is there an alternative to God? Where else can we find salvation for our souls? If we do not find God’s words as palatable as we desire and decide to throw the Bible aside, is it in our newspapers or facebook or the latest magazine or novel that we shall find solace and nourishment for our souls?

Dear friends, if we cannot find happiness following the footsteps of God, where else can we turn to?

The people walked away from Jesus and stopped following him because he told them he was going to give them his body and blood instead of the manna (ordinary bread) they were expecting. The question is: Did they eventually find a bread supplier?

Like those who walked away from Jesus, there are many times we walk away from God, either we stop taking prayers seriously, we stop being active in our pious societies, we become less fervent with our devotional activities, or we turn aside from following our conscience and begin to commit sin freely…

There are times we act out of anger towards God or we seek some sort of revenge for unanswered prayers, disappointment or because of certain crisis that God allowed in our lives; crisis that so rock our faith that we start wondering if truly God still exists. Our anger may even be as a result of some scandal we have noticed in the church and so on.

Dear friends, the point is that no matter the reason why we may want to turn our backs on God, the truth is that THERE IS JUST NO ALTERNATIVE.

St. Augustine said: “You have made us for yourself O God and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” We are made by God and made of God, we are part of God and our final destination is God. God is summit of all our human desires and longings. God is the peak, the highest goal of all our needs and quests in life. Nothing compares with God.

Following God is not easy but it is the best option we have. There are times we just have to shut our minds from thinking and just obey God. Peter and the other disciples obviously did not understand what Jesus meant by giving his own flesh to be eaten but they remained with Jesus.

At times, we just don’t understand God or what he wants from us but what do we do? Stay. Yes. Just hang on there. Remain with Peter; don’t go looking for help running helter skelter. If you have prayed to God and the answer is yet to come, trust me, no native doctor in this world, no winch or wizard, no man of God, no prophet or prophetess is capable of doing more than God. They will only compound your problem and leave you worse than you met them.

Hold on. God’s time does not move according to our human wall clock; it has a setting of it’s own. Do you notice that the same Peter who spoke in today’s Gospel passage is the same Peter we see in today’s first reading working miracles in the name of God? Imagine if Peter had walked away from Jesus during that moment of shock when Jesus said they would eat his flesh?

My dear, do you know what you are going to do for God tomorrow?

My dear, don’t quit on God. Don’t give up your prayers. Don’t drop that cross. Your own Easter Sunday will soon come around.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, I have nowhere else to turn to; grant me the grace of final perseverance. May I never turn away from you no matter my situation. Amen

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 3^rd Week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 9:31-42 and John 6:60-69).